Small Moments
by Eden Alice Poe
Summary: Tumblr secret santa gift for simplycarline. Two-shot. BBRae, RobStar. One christmas-themed. One... not. XD
1. Mistletoe kisses

The first time, it was "accidentally" orchestrated on purpose.

The mistletoe had been set up at strategic locations that all members of the team were sure to frequent and more than likely to run into one another. And most of the time, once the plant had been discovered, it became the hall less traveled by.

Maybe Beast Boy thought the traditional prank was one that needed to be continued. Maybe he was hoping that the girls would say something about all the kissing that was sure to be taking place.

That first week in December had been quiet, for sure. The Titans were adept at avoiding one another when possible, but the changeling had thought it was only a matter of time until someone forgot to watch their step.

It came as a great shock for him when it had been Raven.

But there she stood, mouth slightly agape, book in hand, staring up at the dreaded parasite tied firmly above her head.

She looked to Cyborg, who stood there trying to rein in the laughter. She turned to Starfire, who watched on in interest.

She finally turned to Robin, saying, "You can't tell me that-" But he cut her off.

"It _is_ tradition, Raven. Like it or not, you owe Beast Boy a mistletoe kiss."

He stood there grinning for a moment longer, finally shutting his eyes and leaning in, pursing his lips. Only to feel a cool touch on his cheek.

"There's your kiss," she whispered as she walked on.

...

The second time, it was a private affair.

The year had been full of surprises for the team, and they had certainly grown since the last Christmas. The team had endured a heart-breaking betrayal, had expanded their horizons to reach the East coast, and had been responsible for saving not only their world, but countless others.

If they ever had cause to celebrate, or cause for reflection, it was certainly during this second Christmas.

And yet here the duo found themselves underneath the mistletoe, one wanting to forget for a moment all the things that had passed, the other unable to let it go so easily.

"There's a lot of... feelings I want to sort through, first," she tried to tell him. "I'm still confused, and I want to get it straightened out before-"

She found herself cut off as her teammate made a bold decision. His lips connecting with hers for the briefest of moments.

"You can take all the time you need," he smiled. "I just wanted this year's kiss before New Year's comes around..."

Watching him walking off, she began to question what the new year would bring.

...

The final time, it was not without cause.

Every Titan, new and old, honorary or veteran, had been invited to the Tower. Most especially, the toddlers that Raven had grown fond of as the year had progressed. They had been particularly excited by the fact that Santa had arrived with many presents for all their teammates, and were nearly devastated when a Grinch had arrived to take them all away.

They had begged and pleaded with Raven to convince the Grinch to leave their presents alone, and eventually, she complied.

There he had been, stuffing the last of the gifts into the largest red sack she had ever seen. He had a grin on his face, underneath the fake beard, and the suit had hung limply all around. It was a bad fit, but a good costume for a last minute prank idea.

"I know for a fact that every light on that tree is in perfect order," she began, making the Grinchy-Claus jump. "So that excuse isn't going to fly as well this year. But why don't we just cut to the reason why you're really here? What will persuade you to let us keep Christmas?"

"Only," the Grinch had half-laughed in a familiar, yet gruff, voice, "a kiss underneath the mistletoe."

Her steps were light as she made her way across the Ops room.

"And risk having my kids singing 'I Saw Raven Kissing Grinchy-Claus' for the rest of my life? You most certainly are a vile one, Mr. Grinch," she said, slowly leaning in as she finally got close enough to stop his hands from placing more presents into the sack. "As much as I wish I'd only have to touch you with that thirty-nine and a half foot pole, my team's been very good this year, and I won't let them be cheated out of presents..."

They both looked up at the mistletoe that had been tied to the tree for this year. Giggles could be heard from down the hallway, not all of them light and airy like a child's.

"Merry Christmas, Gar," Raven whispered as they finally shared a mistletoe kiss.

...

Notes: First-shot. Hope you liked this so far, Carline! :D


	2. Earth-Birthday

It had been a whole year. More than a year, now that they thought about it. The first anniversary of Starfire's crash landing had come and gone without much attention being called to it.

But one subject had been brought up soon after the anniversary had long since passed.

Celebrating the Tamaranean equivalent of an Earthly birthday was very important to the whole team. It didn't feel right to let another birthday slip by with no means of celebration.

Beast Boy and Cyborg made quite the fuss when their birthdays had passed, and even Robin had chosen a date to celebrate his (though he had said to protect his identity, they couldn't celebrate the actual day). Raven had seem pleased with herself that she had managed to evade the nonsense completely, however, the team had promised each other a surprise party would be in order as soon as they could pick out a solid date.

This only left Starfire, and the possibility that her birth had passed 'perhaps two months prior, or shall be passing two months from now'. The Tamaranean calendar differed in many more ways from the Earth's, mostly in the fact that time was only ever relative to a planet's position compared to it's sun.

This fact had not discouraged the Titans from taking the necessary steps to begin preparations for 'the celebrating of the birth of one's teammate'.

They took the time to 'assemble the traditional Throknar' and to buy appropriate and meaningful gifts. They hung decorations with care, and prepared a feast that could feed more than half their numbers. They invited Honorary Titans to join the celebration but were careful to keep everything from Starfire's observant eyes.

The shocked look on her face as she entered the room had been more than enough to bring smiles and laughs to all their faces. Her excitement as they began new and interesting party games kept her floating with happiness all throughout the evening. When it came time for guests to depart, heartfelt goodbyes had been shared and promises of more frequent visits were made.

The sun had long since set, and their teammates had gone to bed, but Robin and Starfire chose to stay up just awhile longer. A moment of peace to sit companionably, and watch as the moon glinted off the bay and the skyscrapers in the distance.

They had to snuggle closer together for warmth, the temperature had taken a dramatic drop after all the party-goers had left. Sitting there in the dim light, for once, Robin felt a sense of ease with the alien. She was usually so intimidating, and had made him so nervous during any type of.. romantic situation. But this, the silence, the camaraderie of the day having left them, it was relaxing, and it felt right.

"Now that I have thought through the possibilities," Starfire suddenly said, giving the boy wonder a small start. "I believe that today was as close to an Earth anniversary for the day of my birth on Tamaran. It is still very strange to me, however, having to count the days in minutes, rather than in shnorvleks."

"Uh, snore-what?" Robin looked down for a better look at the face resting by his chest.

She gave a light laugh. "Sh-nor-vleks," she enunciated, "merely a unit of time. One that we might compare to approximately three Earth minutes. I am certain we have discussed this once before, Robin."

"Erm, sure. Yeah, I knew that," he smiled, a blush creeping onto his face. 'Good thing it's so much darker in here now.'

They adjusted themselves once more on the couch as the air conditioner gave a hum. The lights in the bay seemed to grow brighter as the night wore on and they enjoyed each other's company.

"I hope you had a happy Earth-birthday, Star," he whispered into her ear as she gave another yawn.

...

Notes: Final part of Carline's secret santa gift. Have a Merry Christmas, one and all! :)


End file.
